ATHENS: Greece's parliament on Saturday approved a reform package to save the country from financial collapse, as sources in Brussels said Athens's latest plan could form the basis of a massive new bailout worth 74 billion euros.
The package was backed by 251 lawmakers, out of 300 deputies, according to an AFP tally, giving Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras a mandate to continue last-ditch talks with the country's creditors ahead of an European Union summit on Sunday.
The vote came after Tsipras urged parliament to approve a package of reforms including a pension overhaul, tax hikes and privatisations similar to those offered by creditors last month, to keep the nation "alive" and in the EU.
The measures, submitted in Brussels Thursday, sparked criticism from hardline members of his radical left ruling party Syriza, around 10 of whom abstained from or voted against them. Opposition parties, however, helped push them through.
Three senior government figures were among those who chose not to vote, while several others from the ruling party including former finance minister Yanis Varoufakis stayed away, showing the weight of division over the plans.
"It is a choice of high national responsibility, we have a national duty to keep our people alive... we will succeed not only to stay in Europe but to live as equal peers with dignity and pride," Tsipras said ahead of the vote.
Parliament's backing came hours after an EU source in Brussels said the country's latest debt proposals were "positive" enough to form the basis of a massive new bailout worth 74 billion euros ($82 billion).
Greece on Thursday submitted plans designed to woo fresh cash from its international creditors that concede several key points that Tsipras's ruling coalition -- and Greek voters -- had previously fiercely opposed.
They included a request for a three-year funding plan including debt relief and a separate 35-billion-euro investment package.
But while the concessions have brought relief from many quarters it has also been met with scepticism, with Germany leading a bloc of eurozone nations who fear Greece could turn into a black hole for any new loans.
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